This invention relates to prefabricated small area sheds such as those used, for example, for storing garden tools and equipment in backyards.
Various prefabricated sheds off the type with which the present invention is concerned are presently available usually formed of wood or steel components. These sheds which are quite expensive are sold as kits to the ultimate consumer who assemble them in their backyards or other locations.
In order to erect these sheds, a base must be provided on which the shed is to sit. Such bases may be concrete pads or wood platforms the provision of which is normally the responsibility of the customer who also must provide proper anchorage of the shed to the base.
Such prior art sheds when erected are often very flimsy with the metal sheds subject to rattling in the wind. Further roof loading is limited and the roofs are subject to buckling or collapse under heavy snow loads.
Further such sheds are subject to weathering with the metal sheds subject to rusting and they require significant maintenance to keep them from deteriorating and becoming an eye sore.
The present invention resides in providing a very economical prefabricated shed which overcomes the problems of the present small area sheds, the shed being formed of plastic components to be sold as a kit, the components being easily assembled into a permanent structurally sound maintenance free attractive structure.
In another aspect the present invention involves the packaging of the fabricated shed components in a packing case or crate that serves as the shed base and providing a very simple novel arrangement for anchoring the shed to the base.
More particularly, according to one aspect of the invention, the shed is a rectangular structure having side walls, gabled end walls which slope upwardly to a central ridge and a roof, all formed of connected hollow plastic panels with the roof sloping upwardly from the side walls towards a central ridge, the roof panels being supported at the lower ends on the side walls and at their upper ends by a ridge beam assembly. This ridge beam assembly comprises a metal beam spanning between and supported by the end walls, the beam being encased in a longitudinal plastic sleeve extending between the end walls, the sleeve being formed with an integral longitudinally extending downwardly sloping braced shelve at each side thereof for supporting the upper ends of the roof panels and a ridge flashing overlying the ridge beam assembly and the upper ends of the roof panels.
According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the ridge beam sleeve is formed with a upwardly facing channel presenting latch hooks at the upper edges thereof and the ridge flashing comprises a pair of wings sloping downwardly from an apex at an angle corresponding to the roof pitch and being provided with downwardly projecting legs adapted to telescopically engage with the sleeve channel, the legs having latch hooks at their lower ends to snap interlock with the sleeve channel latch hooks.
Again, according to the preferred form of the invention, the wall and roof panels are formed at each longitudinal edge thereof with a hollow locking T and the means connecting the panels comprises a rectangular hollow extrusion having hollow right angularly inturned locking fingers to tightly encompass and grasp the locking T""s of adjoining panels.
According to another aspect of the invention, the components of the shed kit include aluminum channel members for securement to the base for the shed provided by the packing case. These channel members have an integral bottom nailing fin for fastening them to the base around its perimeter with the channel members having a width to receive the lower ends of the wall panels for securement thereto. When mounted, these channels present an inner channel wall higher than the outer channel wall to provide run off of any water accumulating in the channel to the outside of the shed.
In another aspect of the invention, the hollow shed extrusions are provided with small flexible plastic inserts at the points where fasteners are employed to permanently secure the components in assembled relation.